My Haj Diary: Why the journey through Makkah, Mina is unlike any other

The Haj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims are required to undertake it at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so. For the pilgrims, Haj is a profound spiritual journey that brings them closer to God. And this year, I have been fortunate to undertake this journey.

I am one of the over the 2 million Muslims who arrived in Makkah to perform the annual pilgrimage. And the city plays host to young and old, men and women, rich and poor from all over the world.

I braced myself to face a massive travel rush when we arrived at Jeddah’s Haj terminal on Tuesday, June 20. However, within 1.5 hours of landing, I was out with my luggage on a bus waiting to take us to Makkah.

The welcoming atmosphere at the airport was heartwarming; students at Jeddah airport handed out goody bags to everyone at the Arrivals. Some had travel bags and prayer mats, while others contained prayer dresses and miswaks (a tree branch that is usually used by Muslims to brush their teeth and is considered a Sunnah). On the way to Makkah, at a checkpoint, we were given a snack bag with biscuits, Zamzam water, juice and date mamoul.

The main intention of those performing Haj pilgrimage is to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), i.e., do things exactly like how he did it. The Prophet only ever did one Haj during his lifetime, and pilgrims try to replicate it as exactly as possible. It isn’t always possible due to the number of people arriving for the pilgrimage. The men who do Haj are called Hajjis while the women are called Hajjas. The first step of the pilgrimage is to leave for the place called Mina on Dhul Hijjah 8, also called the Yawm Al Tarwiyah (day of quenching thirst).

The group I travelled with had planned to leave Aziziah, where we stayed on the night of Dhul Hijjah 7, to avoid the rush. However, arrangement issues delayed our travel till the morning of Dhul Hijjah 8. That’s another thing when doing Haj; even the most carefully laid plans can go haywire at the last minute. But people usually deal with it with patience, believing that patience in every circumstance is part of the pilgrimage.

On Dhul Hijjah 8 (Monday), 53 of us left our hotels on a bus for Mina. The roads were deserted as the entire city prepared for a week of rituals and religious fervour. Several big buses transported millions of pilgrims. Police officers and volunteers were scattered across the city as they ensured everything went smoothly.

In Mina, hundreds of tents awaited the Hajjis and Hajjas. With carpeted floors and several rows of single foldaway beds, most tents housed 50 or 36 people, depending on their size. The tents are usually equipped with split AC and wall fans to keep the pilgrims cool- an arduous task in the peak of summer. The tents are divided into zones according to countries of origin. Pilgrims are allotted tents varying from VIP to D-class, which include facilities depending on their price.

A large community kitchen cooks for everyone and the Hajjis and Hajjas use common toilet facilities. In addition to the kitchen, there were common snack centres with an unlimited supply of bread, biscuits, condiments, juices and hot drinks, including tea and coffee. The Mina health centre functions 24*7 to ensure that those with medical emergencies are catered to.

Pilgrims spend the entire day in various forms of worship, including saying duas (prayers), reading the Quran or reciting Talbiyah (the specific prayer for Haj). The daily prayers are shortened so the Hajjis and Hajjas have more time for worship. The pilgrims keep busy anticipating the most important day of the entire Haj pilgrimage - the day of Arafat.

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